By the way, NASA plans to put an astronaut on Mars in about 20 years. We presume there will be a return trip.

IT’S TEMPTING

I guess it feeds into the American spirit of exploration. My husband would have loved it. I prefer to stay right here on the earth I know pretty well!

Kathy Prosser, Jacksonville Beach

A PRACTICAL VIEW

It probably does feed into the American spirit. Are they going to put bathrooms up there first?

Jan Golden, Jacksonville

IT’S NUTS

Wildly underfunded, incalculably risky projects inspired by 19th century science fiction narratives do not resemble a positive model for Americans or anyone else.

Richard Birdsall, Jacksonville

THE AUSTRALIAN MODEL

A one-way ticket to Mars is a fantastic idea as long as the colonists are inmates on death row, rapists, drug dealers and anyone who molests or kills a child.

Dayle Vickery, Orange Park

GO UP, YOUNG MAN

This is like the American spirit. There will likely be volunteers who feel they must leave earth to live the way they want to live. And people will say “good riddance.” Sounds a lot like the situation with the original European colonists to what was the new world.

Bob Rinker, Orange Park

BETTER OPTIONS ON EARTH

Why go to Mars?

Mars lost its atmosphere after the planet’s core solidified, and it lost its protective magnetic field.

The solar wind just blew away the lighter components, such as oxygen and nitrogen. Nothing will change that.

There is nothing that can be done to make it habitable again.

Even if you found water trapped somewhere to make some oxygen for yourself, it is too cold to grow anything.

It will be less expensive and quicker to hike into the Sahara, sit down and wait for the end to come.

Jon Haas, Orange Park

NOT SO CRAZY

I don’t think it would be any more outlandish than when we sent our astronauts to the moon.

We still have 20 years to work things out. Americans have always been explorers. We have been a land of dreamers. Maybe that is how we became great.

Lee G. Bray, Jacksonville

NO FOOTBALL?

Isn’t it amazing that 200,000 people want to go to Mars with all the beautiful places to explore here on this blue marble of the universe? Who will be the first to say, “I should have stayed home?”

Can you imagine? No TV, no Internet, no Times-Union, no political infighting no baseball, no Gator football?

How long do you think it will take before they start a war? Imagine a war with no video and few witnesses. Horrible.

Imagine the horror of not being able to texting as you drive. It probably means no latte grande from Starbucks. Where will they go on date night?

As I see it the only good point in making this trip is that there won’t be any income taxes until Congress figures out a way to get the cash back here. I can just see it now, someone in Congress will earmark some funds to build a bridge to Mars so they will have some way to get the taxes back here.

One question remains, if they move to Mars, do they give up their U.S. citizenship or do they apply for dual citizenship?

I certainly hope that no one thinks they will be missed because without the media, they probably won’t be.

Donald Waitkus, Fleming Island

TO BOLDLY GO …

Since the beginning of civilization, man has shown courage and innovation in forging into new territories.

The Vikings set out in their little boats and found new lands, Columbus discovered America and our first settlers pushed westward through the wilderness and formed towns along the way.

This has all contributed to developing our planet Earth and resulted in our enjoying the great strides provided by our forefathers who had visions for the future.

So now we find ourselves facing another great undertaking with 200,000 people signing up to be the first settlers on planet Mars.

Several years ago, it would have been unthinkable to venture into the vast universe and establish life on what appears to be a wasteland, devoid of water, soil not suitable for raising crops and no visible life. Yet these pioneers are in the planning stage.

Being a realist causes me to wonder about logistics. How do they expect to supply these settlers with water, food, building materials and many other essentials needed to sustain life?

Evidently everything would have to be exported from planet Earth, which seems an almost impossible feat.

But who knows what lies ahead? Perhaps it isn’t too far-fetched to establish life on Mars; perhaps this may lead to unimaginable accomplishments in opening new vistas and exploring and gaining new knowledge of our vast and mysterious universe.

It would depend in small part at least, as to whether or not they had a real newspaper out there. I would sure hate to depend on this thing to find out what was going on back on earth, as well as on Mars.